Ming Dynasty: A hundred-year-old immortal cultivator, Zhu Yuanzhang’s biological father

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "Since the trend is spreading, if we don't come out and say a few words, it seems difficult to stop the gossip."

"If this matter is allowed to become a trend, and people pretending to be the emperor's grandson continue to occur, it will inevitably cause unrest in the country."

"Today I will officially tell you! The rumors are true!"

"On the sixth day of the sixth month of next month, he will have his coming-of-age ceremony and will be the regent of the state."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment.

However, all the officials now began to gasp, and their faces were filled with horror.

It turns out that the recent rumors are not false!

It turns out that this wind was really released by the old man himself!
It turns out that the eldest grandson of the Ming Emperor is really preparing to become regent!
Among the ministers standing in the Fengtian Hall, many already knew the truth, but even more people were still kept in the dark.

"That's right, the Jiaozhi Chengxuan Administration Office is governed by our eldest grandson."

"We originally thought that we would let him achieve some results before nagging you guys."

"No need to nag about it now. We are all shocked to hear about Jiaozhi's taxes."

"In less than half a year... Fu Youwen, your Ministry of Revenue didn't transfer a single cent, did it?"

Fu Youwen hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I am ashamed that the Ministry of Revenue has never given any financial support to Jiaozhi Provincial Administration."

Zhu Yuanzhang hummed and said, "That is to say, everything in Jiaozhi was governed by our eldest grandson himself."

"Twelve thousand taels of tax in half a year, and he won't be an adult until next month. He's more capable than us!"

Fu Youwen hurriedly said, "It is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty! It is a blessing for Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and Fu Youwen joined the train.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked around at everyone again and said, "The clan office has already put our eldest grandson on the family tree."

"Ministry of Etiquette."

When the Minister of Rites Li Yuan heard Zhu Yuanzhang's call, he hurried out with a banner in his arms.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Yuan indifferently and said, "You, the Ministry of Rites, should prepare for the sacrificial ceremony. At the beginning of next month, when we hold the coming-of-age ceremony for our eldest grandson, we will offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, ancestral temples, and the state. It's time for him to recognize his ancestors!"

Li Yuan couldn't help but tremble and said, "Your Majesty, I obey your order!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and waved his hand again to let Li Yuan join the train.

But no matter what, as long as Zhu Xionghuan appears in everyone's sight, it is probably only a matter of time before he is made the crown prince!

Of course, there are also some people who are skeptical and wait-and-see.

After all, the emperor's grandson has been away from the center for a long time, and governing the country is not the job of the daughter-in-law. If there is another emperor who says "Why not eat meat porridge", or a nerd who is oblivious to the world outside the window, or a farmer's son or a refugee who cannot read a single word... such people may not be able to support national affairs!
Although the old man said that Jiaozhi was governed by the emperor's eldest grandson, who could know the inside story?

Maybe the old man will manage the country personally and then give the credit to the eldest grandson?
Anyway, everything is kept secret. Only when the emperor's eldest grandson actually appears can we see whether he is a mule or a horse, and then take him for a walk... Not far away, several civil servants were also discussing with each other.

"Master Liu."

Fang Xiaoru pursed his lips and saw Liu Sanwu clenching his fists tightly with an excited look on his face, and nodded slightly.

Liu Sanwu also nodded: "Finally I have waited for this day!"

Fang Xiaoru said: "The foundation of a country is education, and education starts with schools. When the emperor's grandson returns, the emperor will certainly allow him to study at the Imperial Academy."

Liu Sanwu smiled and shook his head: "Given his views, who in the Imperial College can teach him? You, Fang Xiaoru? Or me?"

Fang Xiaoru shook his head: "I naturally don't have the ability to teach him, but he must come to the Imperial College. We can put aside all the academic matters. Only when he comes can we win more support from scholars. So we will suggest to the emperor that he be admitted to the Imperial College!"

Liu Sanwu pursed his lips, his eyes gleaming with light as he said, "Brother Fang is absolutely right! I haven't considered it carefully enough!"

If Zhu Xiongying wants to truly enter the vision of the ministers, he still needs to win the support of more civil servants.

Because these people will determine the prestige of the emperor's eldest grandson among the people, so no matter what, all etiquette must be followed.

At least before Zhu Xiongying was announced as the crown prince, he must obtain more literary power besides the Huaixi nobles!

It is undeniable that Zhu Xiongying’s prestige among the warriors is already extremely high.

But governing the country still depends on the literati!
……

At noon, the sun is shining brightly.

After entering the midsummer of May, the weather began to get really hot.

Zhu Xiongying felt a little regretful.

I regret not storing ice cubes during the winter.

Now it is midsummer, especially at noon, the heat is unbearable.

I was sweating profusely while eating, but it didn't help to relieve the heat.

Just when Zhu Xiongying was feeling extremely bored.

A servant from the mansion came over hurriedly and said, "Sir, the Minister of Revenue is here."

Zhu Xiongying was stunned when he heard this.

He knew the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Fu Youwen, but they had only met a few times. So although he was familiar with him, he was not really that familiar with him.

But no one knows what the Minister of Revenue Fu Youwen is doing here?
Zhu Xiongying seemed to remember something. Could it be that he came here for the matter of Jiaozhi? But even if so, it wouldn't be necessary to let the Minister of Revenue come here in person, right?

There is no Minister of Revenue in the Ming Dynasty now. The Vice Minister of Revenue is the head of the Ministry of Revenue and has tremendous power.

Zhu Xiongying intuitively felt that it was a big deal since Fu Youwen came in person.

Just as he was wondering, Fu Youwen had already arrived at the courtyard, sweating profusely.

Zhu Xiongying walked into the courtyard and saluted Fu Youwen in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

"Meet Master Fu."

Fu Youwen panted and said, "Your Highness, you are too polite. It's too hot today!"

"You guys, put your things down!"

Zhu Xiongying saw several clerks behind Fu Youwen carrying two large boxes wrapped in quilts.

He couldn't help but ask suspiciously: "Sir, what is this?"

"Ice cubes! To cool you down." Fu Youwen replied nonchalantly.

There were two large boxes covered with quilts in the middle of the yard.

Zhu Xiongying opened it and was shocked to find two large boxes filled with ice.

Ice is very valuable in summer. Generally speaking, in order to store ice in the Ming Dynasty, it was necessary to build a cold cellar in the mansion, which not only required a spacious mansion but also a lot of financial resources.

For ordinary people, building a cold cellar may be very expensive, but for the powerful, it seems much easier.

After Fu Youwen left, Zhu Xiongying was still a little confused.

Showing courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing.

Zhu Xiongying had just repeatedly asked Fu Youwen if he had anything to ask for help, or if he could do anything to help Fu Youwen.

But Lord Fu just shook his head and said that he was just here to bring him some ice.

This is very strange! What is Fu Youwen doing out of the blue?
But soon, Zhu Xiongying understood.

Not long after, Tie Xuan came and told Zhu Huai excitedly that Xie Dashen's tax account books for the first half of the year had been sent to the Ministry of Revenue.

When Tie Xuan handed the copy of Jiaozhi to Zhu Xiongying, Zhu Xiongying was also frightened.

"so much?"

The account books showed that Jiaozhi’s tax collection in the first half of the year was as high as 120,000 taels of silver!
At first glance, it seems that 120,000 taels of silver is a drop in the bucket for Daming, or even for Zhu Huai.

You can never see the whole thing.

You have to know that Jiaozhi has undergone post-war reconstruction. It has only been six months since Xie Jin went there.

Zhan Hui didn't stay with Zhu Xiongying for long. He chatted with Zhu Xiongying for a while and then left.

Zhu Xiongying just picked up the teacup and was about to drink some tea.

Outside, Minister of Rites Li Yuan came with Minister of War Ru Taisu, Minister of Punishment Yang Jing, and Minister of Works Qin Da.

All four of them were carrying more or less gifts, including the finest Hui ink, Hu brushes, Xuan paper, She inkstones, some treasured paintings by famous early Tang artists such as Yan Liben and Wu Daozi, and even Wang Xizhi's second line of "Clearing After Snow".

Zhu Xiongying was dazzled by what he saw, and only then did he realize how powerful these Ming Dynasty civil servants were.

These are all the treasures of famous artists from the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the early Tang Dynasty. Many of them were lost during the Rebellion of the Five Barbarians.

These things are of great collection value. After several years, only these cold words and calligraphy and paintings can be passed down to future generations. Through these treasures, future generations will know what a brilliant era their ancestors experienced.

These precious collections are the carriers of the Han people’s civilization heritage!
Zhu Xiongying felt somewhat moved, but at the same time, he became more suspicious.

Almost all the senior officials from the six ministries have gathered here today.

If Fu Youwen's arrival can be explained by the taxation of Jiaozhi.

But what about the rest of the people?

When Zhan Hui came just now, he gave some calligraphy and paintings and left without saying anything.

Now, high-ranking officials from the Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Works and Ministry of Justice have arrived again, and strangely enough, they are carrying many precious gifts.

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but ask curiously: "Ladies and Gentlemen, what are you doing?"

Minister of Rites Li Yuan said, "Oh, didn't I hear that Master Zhu is going to have his coming-of-age ceremony? Let's send him something in advance, Master Zhu, please don't be disgusted!"

After Li Yuan finished speaking, Ru Taisu and Qin Da looked at Zhu Xiongying with burning eyes.

Zhu Xiongying asked in confusion: "Lord Li, what are these two old ministers doing..."

Ru Taisu and Qin Da quickly retracted their gazes and said with a smile: "Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing."

"Young Master is truly a handsome man, a rare talent, great, great!"

Zhu Xiongying: "..."

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help himself and said, "My dear ministers, has something happened? Please feel free to tell me!"

Minister of Rites Li Yuan shook his head and said hurriedly, "Mr. Zhu, you are overthinking. It's nothing."

"It's just that Minister Qin has rarely seen Master Zhu, so he specially asked us to bring him here today. Besides, we haven't seen him for a long time, haha."

Zhu Xiongying: "..."

Honestly, what kind of reason is this?
Are you six ministries and departments free and idle?
After Li Yuan finished speaking, he seemed to remember something, took out a book from his arms, handed it to Zhu Huai, and said, "By the way, Mr. Zhu, please take some time to read this book."

Zhu Xiongying took the book and saw that it said "Record of Ancestral Instructions". Zhu Xiongying was puzzled and did not know what Li Yuan meant by that. He just nodded and said, "Okay, thank you, Lord Li."

Li Yuan's expression turned serious, and he clasped his fists and said, "Sir, you really need to read this book carefully, especially the parts about etiquette. Don't waste it!"

Zhu Xiongying said, "Oh," and nodded, "Okay, I remember."

Li Yuan nodded and said no more to Zhu Xiongying, "In that case, we will take our leave."

Zhu Xiongying said quickly: "These gifts are too expensive..."

Before he could finish his words, the four old ministers had already gone far away.

Zhu Xiongying scratched his head, his face full of question marks. Although the six people who came today were not the most distinguished in the Ming Dynasty, they were definitely the most powerful!

The state machine of the Ming Dynasty depends on these six yamen to function!

Now, the highest officials of the six ministries have all come to give me coming-of-age gifts. What's wrong with them?
I just know Lan Yu and other Huaixi military heroes. To be honest, I just benefited from Lan Yu and my father's help. There's no need to make these ministers go to so much trouble, right?

If you really want to give a gift, just ask a subordinate to deliver it.

Why did they all come here in person?
There are also the Minister of War and the Minister of Works. The two guys look as if they want to eat me up.

What a bunch of weird guys.

Zhu Xiongying shook his head speechlessly, then remembered Li Yuan's instructions, and casually opened the "Ancestral Instructions" that Li Yuan had sent him.

What the hell is this?
When Zhu Huai opened it, he was suddenly stunned. His eyes widened and he stared at the contents of "Record of Ancestral Instructions"!
Zhu Xiongying curiously opened the "Record of Ancestral Instructions" sent by the Minister of Rites Li Yuan.

The first page is the directory, totaling thirteen.

It is said to uphold, it is said to strictly perform sacrifices, it is said to have etiquette... it is said to provide for and use.

After Zhu Huai finished reading, he was suddenly stunned. Then it dawned on him that this so-called "Record of Ancestral Instructions" was actually "Imperial Ming Ancestral Instructions".
This thing was revised during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang in order to set rules and etiquette for future emperors. This is what later generations often referred to as the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Xiongying's heart skipped a beat.

Why is Minister Li showing me this? He just told me to read the chapter on etiquette.

Zhu Xiongying followed the catalog and flipped through the etiquette section, which recorded the ceremony for the emperor's enthronement, the ceremony for the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty, the ceremony for the crown prince, the ceremony for the imperial concubines, the ceremony for the princes... The etiquette in these sections was actually for members of the royal family.

Why did Minister Li let me read this? He even told me that this book was useful. What was it useful for?

Wait, old man, is there something big going on in your room?
Zhu Xiongying shook his head, but he was also somewhat curious about the royal etiquette, and since he had nothing else to do, he simply began to watch it with great interest.

...

Forbidden City.

By evening, the imperial city was still shrouded in heat, and even though the sun had set, the sky was still bright.

Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in the Jinshen Hall reviewing memorials.

Bao Zhao once again submitted a memorial to the emperor, stating that there was solid evidence that the magistrate, county magistrate, and chief clerk of Jiaxing had colluded with the wealthy merchants of the Haiyan Lin family to smuggle Ming porcelain and tea.

So far, Bao Zhao has slaughtered all the Lin family merchants in the southeast, as well as some people along the coast who colluded with the Japanese invaders.

People in the southeast coastal counties are now in panic.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he could not continue killing people, as it might cause unrest among the people living along the coast.

As for the officials of Jiaxing and Haiyan counties, almost all of them were wiped out by Bao Zhao.

Zhu Yuanzhang approved the memorial and ordered Bao Zhao and the Jinyiwei to quickly bring this group of people to Yingtian for trial by the three judicial departments.

In fact, there is no need for a trial, because Bao Zhao has already found out everything.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also somewhat curious. In the past, trials seemed to take a long time, but why was it so fast this time? (End of this chapter)